"Princessa Lilliana! Get up! Your late for your lessons!" My maid, Misses Bay, called. I groaned as I swam out of bed and over to my closet.
"I'm up. I just don't know what to wear." I complained.
"You can't be serious. You have a swim in closet with every top, skirt, and dress ever made here! And your only 16 & 1/2" She frowned."Oh, and don't forget you have a field trip to the human world today."
"OH MY GOLDY! I can't believe I forgot! I have to brush my hair, read my books and find out what they where on land!" I twirled around cheering. I've been waiting for a chance to meet the humans for such a long time. As a princess, its part of my job to know of all the languages and cultures that ever existed. Not only do I have a tiara, but I also have a tail. And really long blond hair. I threw on a glittery blue silk dress to go with my lavender, blue and lime tail. And to finish off the look, I braided my 14 feet long hair. All before dashing down the halls of my home.
"Princessa Lilliana! You. Are. Late. AGAIN!" My teacher, Madame Royale scowled at me.
"I know and I'm terribly sorry. But I'm ready!" I apologized.
"Fine, its time to go. Grab your books and follow me." She smiled.
"Yes!" I cheered as we swam up to the surface and climbed up onto a beach. After about 20 seconds, our beautiful tails painlessly separated into 2 legs. "Wow!" I smiled. 
"Now, if anyone asks for your name, you are Lea. This are your official land name. Now lets start our tour at the farms." 

"Mia!" I yelled. Mia was not only my personal servant, but also my best friend. Of course she was my only friend. As the only prince of Domina, I had to have lots of protection. Ever since I was little, I'd never left the palace. Or at least thats what my parents thought. When my mother and father had long meetings that were meant to last for days, Mia would sneak me out of the palace. We'd dress up as poor and ofter to help farm the land the farmers owned, for free. The first time I had snuck out, with Mia, she showed me around the town closest to the palace. Though the land was beautiful, I felt bad for those without homes and money. When I told Mia I wanted to help them, she gave me some money to buy food for them. 
Starting today, my parents have a 2 week meeting. So Mia told me she would take me to town for the day. Even though for right now I am Prince John of Domina, once I'm out in the town, I will become Blake Melody.
"John? Where are you?" Mia called from the opposite end of the hall way. Her eyes fell on me as I started towards her. "John!"
"Mia!" I cheered as I hugged her fragile bony body. Mia has worked at the palace since she was 5! "Are you ready to go?"
"I am. Lets get you in your disguise, and then head out." She smiled.
"Hello, Mr. Miles!" I shouted from the fences surrounding his property.
"Blake! How old are ya now? How ya been, big fella?" The man replied.
"Well, I'm 17, I turn 18 in two days. Other than that, I've been great! What can I do to help you today?" I asked him. I loved helping tend the fields and livestock. Just the idea of helping my people makes me happy.
"Well, I guess I could use some help plowing the fields. After all, my old body doesn't have the strength to push that heavy hunk of metal any more." He told me.
"I'm on it!" I smiled.
"Great! Let's get started then." Mr. Miles returned my smile, as we headed off to work. 

After a long day of work, Mr. Miles and I decided to take a break from plowing and tend the live stock. Then after that I was just about to leave the farm, when I saw the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. But before I could do anything I was interrupted by a scream, coming from Mia.
"SYLVESTRA!" Mia screamed with a big smile on her face. The lady with the girl turned around and screamed, "MIA!" As soon as she turned around I realized that the woman looked identical to Mia. And the two ran to each other and embraced in a hug. 
When I turned back the girl was gone. And I frowned. 'Did I just imagine her?', I thought. "Mia? Who is this?" I gestured to the strange woman.
"Blake, this is Sylvestra, my twin sister." Mia spoke to me. Then she turned to her twin and said,"Sylvestra this is John, my son."
I smiled, knowing this wasn't the truth, but that it was a cover.
"I didn't know you had a son."Sylvestra replyed. Then she turned to me and wispered in my ear,"It's nice to meet you, Prince Blake." She smiled as I stood there with my jaw dropped open.
I stared at her with curiosity in my eyes. How did she know that, I thought. Mia shoved me and I shut my jaw.
"So who was that beautiful young lady walking with you, Sylvestra?" Mia asked.
At first she stood there with an expression that said, who? But then she replied,"Oh, you mean my daughter!" Sylvestra turned away and called,"Lea!" Then smiled. 

Slowly, I came out from behind the bushes. And walked behind my "mother", Sylvestra. I thought this trip would be fun but honestly, on the inside at least, I was freaking out. This boy was way more handsome than any of the mermen in the entire ocean, yet for some reason I remained terrified of him.
He took a step towards me and I freaked out. I turned on my heel and dashed off, running as fast as I could to the beach, where I knew I would be safe.
"Please, wait!" He yelled as he chased after me. Mia chased after him, and Sylvestra chased after Mia. But his voice only encouraged me to run faster.
As the beach came into view, he must have figured out my plan because he took a short cut and blocked the entrance. So, I turned and headed up a hill. Once I reached the top, I dove off of the cliff and luckily landed in the water and out of sight. 

"Sylvestra, is she..." Mia started. 
"Yes. And I'm her teacher." I told my sister.
"Did you see the way they looked at each other? He look at her as if she was a goddess!" 
"Yes, but she was terrified." I frowned. Then I perked up and said,"I think it's time. Let's introduce them to the real one another." 

"What do you mean the real one another?" I asked.
Sylvestra broke the short awkward silence."Your highness, I think you should come with us. This isn't easy to say. Or to believe if you don't see it."
I followed them down to the beach. What are they up to? I thought.
"Please wait here." Mia told me as she went to the side of the cliff, picked a piece of seaweed, and handed it to me. "Unless you want to drown, I would suggest you eat that." I ate the nasty tasting seaweed. 
"Come under with us."Sylvestra told me, before she and Mia dove under. Slowly I walked under to see Mia and her twin, as MERMAIDS!
"WHAT THE..." I yelled. I was speaking. I was breathing. And I was underwater.
"Your magisty, you should know that the girl with me was not my daughter but instead my student. Her real name is," Sylvestra looked to Mia, as if she was trying to be cautious. When Mia nodded, Sylvestra continued. "Her name is..."
"Princessa Lilliana of Aquamer. My name is Princessa Lilliana." Lilliana spoke from behind a rock in the distance. The only part of her that I could see was a tail of lavender, blue, and lime. I started to swim towards her, but I was stopped.
"Be careful. She is shy, and won't hesitate to swim away." Sylvestra whispered to me. I nodded and continued to swim towards her.
"We are going to head to the town and catch up. Please don't swim off again, Lilliana." Sylvestra shouted, as she and Mia swam off.
After they were gone, I spoke up."I'm sorry that I frightened you earlier."
"No it's my fault. I shouldn't have run from you, Prince John. It's just that I was scared and nervous and today was my first time on land." She was crying softly. Her first time on land? I thought.
"Your first time?" I asked as I swam closer to her. "Haven't you ever been on land before?"
"No, as the next ruler of my kingdom, it's my job to learn everything I need to know, now. Once I become the crowned princess of Aquamer, I have to be ready to rule and marry. And with my luck, I'll probably end up marrying some selfish merman." She frowned and fell back down behind the rock, hiding from my view.
"Haven't you ever thought about swimming away?" I asked her.
"Yes, I have. But then I thought about the effect that would have on my people, and I couldn't dishonor my family." She replied. "Its my duty to protect my people, I can't turn my back on them. Not with the danger of the sea."
"Wait, what danger?" I questioned, then frowned realizing how clueless I sounded. But really, "what danger?" I thought.
"You, you don't know?" She stuttered. I shook my head. 

How could he not know about what his people are doing to us? I thought. "Your people, and others are hunting us. For years, we've been safe. Out of sight, but now..." A couple of bubbly tears streamed down my face. Slowly, John reached towards me, but I turned away.
"Is that why your being distant? Your afraid I'm going to kidnap you?" He started laughing, until I sent him a sharp glare. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards him. "Lilliana, the moment I saw you... What I'm trying to say is... um... I fell in lo-" He was going to say he loved me, but instead he stared to choke. 
Then it hit me. He was drowning. The water-weed had worn off.
"JOHN!" I screamed. On instinct, I pulled him up to surface and threw him onto the beach. "What am I doing?" I thought, "He could still be dangerous. My people will need me, I have to shut him out. John could corrupt me! Make me breakdown! I just need to calm down, and focus." I threw myself back into the water and jumped up on a large rock about 17 tails from shore. After about 3 seconds, water rose up and twirled around me and the rock. Once the water calmed and returned to the ocean, my tail was replaced with feet again.
Almost instantly, the prince woke up and started sputtering salt water. Once he finished recovering from drowning, John looked around for me. Finally, he saw me in the distance on my rock and did something I didn't expect him to do.

I smiled at Lilliana. Not for her beauty, not for being strong, not for being a good future ruler, not for being a mermaid, but for saving my life. She could've allowed me to drown, but she didn't. Sooner than I expected, though, she would push me away again.
Lilliana tried to hide her tears and her frown as she spoke,"I think you should go, your highness."
"What! Why?" I shouted.
"Please. Don't make this hard, John." Lilliana said as she turned away. "Your kingdom will need you and you almost drowned back there! I will not allow the next heir to the throne of a neighboring kingdom to die in my ocean!" As she yelled, the ocean rose with Lilliana's powerful voice, sending large waves crashing up against the shore.
"No." I told her, sharply. "I'm not leaving you."
"UGH! What is your problem? Why are you being so stubborn?" She shouted.
"I won't leave you. Because I love you. Not for beauty. Not for being a mermaid. Not for being a princess. I love you, for being you. You keep mentioning how much you care about your people, how you live for them and not for yourself. How you would sacrifice everything for them. Thats what I like about you." She stared at me, with tears in her eyes. Then, she wiped her tears away and continued to glare at me. "Lilliana, I won't leave you, because I love you."
"Even more reason for you to go. Humans and mermaids aren't allowed to mix. Mermaids are made for water, and humans just-" she paused, "aren't. Plus, when you are royalty, you live for others not for yourself. You also marry for others, not for love. I don't know how you run your kingdom, but here I will be forced to marry. Forced to marry, just to make an alliance with another kingdom. Love! The only place love fits into my life, is the love I need to have for my people." Lilliana stopped, to frown as a single tear hit the water. "I'll send Mia up to the surface. It's- It's best if we never see each other again."
"Lilliana, wait! Please!" I begged her, but she just shook her head.
Then I felt my heart brake and tears break out as she dove under and faintly whispered,"Goodbye, Prince John."

 "You did what!" Sylvestra yelled at me. "You sent him away! Why?"
 "You don't understand. He said he loved me. How could he love me, when he doesn't even know me? Plus, he's a human! How can a human love a fish!" I shouted back at her, my voice was raging, and sent waves crashing up on the shore above.
 "Princess Lilliana, calm your temper. You must be cautious of your temper, for you alone control the ocean." She warned me. Causing me to turn and stare at my reflection in the mirror, before turning away to cry.
 "I'm sorry, Sylvestra. I just can't have any distractions. I need to learn to be the princess this kingdom needs." I replied, as I swam out on to the balcony of my chamber. Looking up to the sky, I saw millions on stars through the water, forcing me to smile.
 "We will discuss this more tomorrow. For now, however, you should get your sleep. Good night, Lilliana." She smiled, and swam out of the room, leaving me alone to rest and reflect.

 "Mia, I just don't understand her." I frowned. No matter how hard I tried, she kept pushing me away; I thought to myself.
 "Prince John, you must understand. Princess Lilliana is terrified of humans." She told me softly.
 "What? Why?" I asked.
 "I believe she may have already told you. Do you recall that?" She replied.
 I thought back to when we talked. "I remember now! She was afraid I was going to take her. Lilliana is terrified of humans because someone is taking them."
 "Unfortunately, yes. And we do not know whom is behind this, so all mer-people are expected to be on watch at all times." She informed me. "That is why Lilliana is so protective and closed hearted. She never learned about love. For its to dangerous. She controls the ocean and all forces of water, even snow, ice, and rain. Which means her emotions can be deadly. When she cries, the sky cries with her. When she is angry, the waves are higher. And worst of all, she hasn't learned about this much. She doesn't know her strength. But I can guarantee you, Lilliana does have some feelings for you. The only problem is she doesn't know what they are yet. Do you understand?" I shook my head.
 "Oh well, we will talk more about this tomorrow. Good night, your grace." Mia bowed and left me alone to stare out the window and watch as it started to rain.

 I woke up and found myself on ground. I had never made it to my bed, last night. Slowly, I dragged my tail over to a mirror, just to laugh at how bad I looked. My hair was a mess. I'd forgotten to change last night, so my dress was wrinkled and sandy. Worst of all, I had big tear streaks all down my face. I was a wreck, but all I could do was laugh. I made myself a wreck, over a boy! "How ridiculous am I?" I asked my reflection.
 "Your not ridiculous. Your just stubborn." The mirror replied.
 "What do you mean?" I don't understand, how am I the stubborn one?, I thought.
 "Last night, you pushed John away! You are so stubborn that you didn't even know you were in love! You are stubborn because you aren't letting yourself be in love!" My reflection stated sharply. 
 "How can I be in love, when I don't even know what love is?" I asked my reflection. She stared at me, with big eyes and an open mouth.
 "You don't know what love is?" I shook my head.
 "Can you teach me?" Now she shook her head.
 "Love can't be taught. Love is a feeling! You just need to open your heart to the world. I don't know what has cause you to be so close-hearted but you need to put it behind you. Only then will you know what love is." She spoke softly as she faded out and returned to nothing but a reflection.
 "Open my heart?" I thought. "What does that mean?"
 "I don't know what just happened with you, but tomorrow we are going to a party. No buts! It is your job. Plus, you need to apologize." I jerked around to find Madame Royal in the door way.
 "Wait. What party?" Slowly, the pieces fell into place. "No. Please don't make me go!" I begged.
 "Too bad. We're going. I got the invite this morning from one of Mia's bottle messages." She told me sharply.
 "Madame Royal, I'm begging you! Please, don't make me go!" She wasn't giving in so I yelled,"YOU'LL HAVE TO DRAG ME OUT OF THE WATER. I'M. NOT. GOING! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" The force of my voice threw her against the walls of my room. She looked as if her tail was broken. And it was my fault. 
It was all my fault.
 I stared at my reflection for about 3 seconds before darting out my balcony doors and swimming as far away from my home as possible. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to escape my home. I wasn't going back, yet. I just need time and space, I told my self. 

 About three hours later, I decided to take a break from swimming. I settled myself down into a bed of coral, and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

 I woke up to the sound of a loud crash. Scared as I was, I sat up and looked around. Then I looked up, and knew I was in trouble...